7.30.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- finding the time to see a movie, take a nap, and get some pool time in with my beloved fiancé
- a friend to bounce a tough conversation off of before diving in
- restraint of tongue and pen with a tricky family member (as best I could, anyway)
- seeing sunshine for part of today
- having a church to go to where I feel welcome and inspired

Dear God - thank you for the many blessings in my life. You have shown over and over how powerful You are and the many ways You have carried me, protected me and forgiven me - and loved me. Please help my friends and family to know Your love and grace as I do today - and help me to live my life in a way that would make You smile. Amen.

Sent from my iPhone

7.29.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- Payday!
- Scottish accents
- A fun workplace (we just made a video for Monday's show that featured us doing an "office Olympics", complete with chair races and paper plate discus!)
- Getting uncomfortable conversations out of the way
- Date night tonight!

Dear God, the whirlwind that is my life is a little overwhelming right now - thanks for the opportunity to stop and reflect how good I really have it. Please help me to stay in the right frame of mind. Please help me not to worry about money. Please help to remember that everything is alright, right here, right now, and that I have everything I need. Keep an eye on my friends and loved ones, too (pretty please!). Amen.

7.27.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- S waking me up when my alarm didn't go off in time for me to still get to work!
- my dad taking his medicine, and it working!
- finally getting our thank you notes done last night
- a project at work that lets us help charity organizations
- having a wedding planner to take care of all the "little details"

Dear God, phew - I never thought I'd be grateful for someone waking me up out of a dead sleep at 4:15am, but I really am! Thanks for that - and for the many other blessings in my life. One month from today, S and I will be making the biggest commitment of our lives - and while I am not nervous about that, I am very nervous about all the stress that leads up to the big day. Please help me to remember what is really important, and to not sweat the small stuff. Please continue to bring Your healing, love and comfort to those that need it, and help me to be of service to those that are in need. Amen.

7.26.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- Dinner and quality time with one of my favorite ladies last night
- the ladies at St. Anne's Home
- an AWESOME surprise for S at our wedding coming together
- the geneorisity of my friends and family
- making it through a massive thunderstorm last night with no damage from it or the dogs that were freaking out about it

Dear God, thank You for the many blessings You have granted me and to the other people in my life. Please help me to just do the next right thing - and not worry about my rapidly growing "to do" list. Help me to keep my head in the game...Your game...and not to be overwhelmed, and to remember what's really important. If there is a way for me to be of use to You and Your kids, please show me how I can be of service! Amen.

7.25.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- Friends of mine telling me that this blog has inspired them to take stock of the things in their lives to be grateful for! (Feel free to share those with me - either here or via email...I'd love to share in your joy!)
- Some awesome lovin' from S last night (sorry, if that's TMI, but I am grateful for it!)
- A full fridge of healthy food
- Another potential job free lance job opportunity
- Feeling healthier and stronger from working out and losing weight

Dear God, it's a repeat from yesterday, but it's so good, I want to say it again: I praise that You have healed so many hurting human beings. As I pray for the people in my life, I ask that Your healing power be present in their living. Heal bodies where there is injury or pain. Comfort those that are grieving. Pour out Your love and forgiveness to those experiencing broken relationships. Revive those that are tired and weary. Give Your peace to those that are anxious and afraid. By Your power, enable all of these to experience Your presense and love. Amen.

7.24.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- a great church service - it was good to be back "home" after not being there for a few weeks
- a vigorous walk tonight where I got to make some long overdue phone calls
- quality time with S to just hang out
- a fun evening out at the theatre last night with good friends and S
- my new favorite prayer (in the church bulletin today!) which says:

Dear God, I praise You that You have healed so many hurting human beings. As I pray for the people in my life, I ask that Your healing power be present in their living. Heal bodies where there is injury or pain. Comfort those that are grieving. Pour out Your love and forgiveness to those experiencing broken relationships. Revive those that are tired and weary. Give Your peace to those that are anxious or afraid. By Your power, enable all these to experience Your presence and love. Amen.

Sent from my iPhone

7.23.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- 9 hours of sleep!
- having time today to get caught up around the house and on wedding stuff
- friends that really "get me" and feel like family
- air conditioning
- my health

Dear God, thank you for the sleep - more than anything, I am grateful for that. When I get sleep, everything else seems like less of a big deal! Thank you for the other blessings in my life - You do great things, and I am glad that I can see that, today. Please help me to let go of the worry I feel about my father's health - and to place the outcome of all that happens with him and everyone I love in Your hands. Also, the wedding is 35 days away - I am not sure how time flew so fast, but please help me not to turn into a bridezilla and just take the process as it comes and let people help me. There are lots of friends and loved ones that need a special chunk of Your grace today - please show me how to be helpful to them, and please grant them the comfort and strength that only You can provide. Amen.

7.22.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- an incredible new opportunity to expand my career (without having to leave my current job!)
- email to keep me connected
- p90x
- apologies
- rainchecks

Dear God, thank you for the many awesome things you are doing in my life. I am so grateful for the fantastic freelance TV gig that you've presented me with - out of the blue. I am so excited to try my hand at something new without having to give up "ol' reliable" radio. That being said, I am freaking the ___ out about my dad's irregular heartbeat diagnosis. Please help me to turn that over to You and not try to micromanage his health or worry about things I can't control. I love him lots, and want him to be ok, please. I don't even care that I am praying for my will right now. Help me to remember that You are in charge, and that even when I hate what You are doing, it's probably best anyway. Please show me where I can be helpful and supportive to him, and to all of your other kids. Thanks, and amen.

7.19.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- a "cereal in bed" date with S
- the unfailing encouragement of my weight counselor S
- Tina Fey's book, "Bossypants"
- being able to delegate some wedding stuff
- rediscovering some music I love and loading it on my iPhone
- witnessing a woman make a breakthrough today

Dear God, thanks for getting my head out of my butt, and for feeling more like "me" again. Please help me to stay on track and to continue to seek Your will in all that crosses my path. Keep an eye on my friends and family, and let them know the comfort and healing that only You can provide. Amen.

7.18.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- opportunties to do free lance work
- a friend that is willing to pack up her baby and go with me when I do my first dress fitting today!
- getting to try on my wedding dress again!
- a new kick a@# shower head
- repairing a relationship with ____

Dear God, thanks for helping me to get back on track today - and to feel more connected. Please help me to grow a longer fuse, and not to go off so quickly - especially on the one I love the most. Please help me to look for opportunities to be of service to You and Your kids. Thank you for all of the ways you bless me and grant me grace - and allow me to screw up so I can attempt to learn a lesson. Amen.

7.17.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- remembering my commitment to myself to do this every day
- a friend's story tonight full of God's grace in action
- making some progress on organizing the house and my new home office
- realizing I don't have to get it all done this weekend
- S's seemingly endless patience with me

Dear God, please help me to do better tomorrow than I did today. Amen.

Sent from my iPhone

7.16.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- being able to get a little more organized with my new desk
- a cat nap on S's chest
- getting to see Harry Potter when we had some free time come up
- our quesadilla maker - so fun!
- being able to say "I'm sorry" and mean it

Dear God, thanks for the lessons you've taught me from my many mistakes today. Help me to get out of my own way to be able to do Your will. Please protect and guide my friends and family. Amen.

Sent from my iPhone

7.15.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- my plants showing real signs of growth after repotting them (they have major sentimental value, and it was touch and go there for a couple of weeks!)
- pay day today!
- time this weekend to get the house in order
- a suprise opportunity to have dinner with S's Aunt D at one of our favorite places last night
- be available to be of service to some girls that mean a lot to me, especially because they don't know that it's happening!

Dear God, thank you for the many blessings in my life, and for the perspective to see everything in my life as a blessing, regardless of how it seems in the current moment. You are pretty freaking talented, Dude. Please grant me knowledge of Your will for me and the power to carry it out, in all of my affairs. I know You have a plan - help me to look for the signs You send me to show me what it is, and follow! Please continue to look over the H children and their incredible mom, and over my family and friends, as many of them navigate some tricky situations. Amen.

7.14.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- having a fabulous group of girlfriends to share good news with when it happens
- finding not one, but two pairs of shoes to wear under my wedding dress
- Hershey kisses
- having a DVR, so I can watch "my shows" whenever I have time
- a good night's sleep (for once!)

Dear God, thanks for the sleep - I feel like a whole new person! - and for the other blessings I listed, and the many, many others I didn't. I am a lucky girl! Please help me to continue doing the things that will keep me in a good frame of mind and to keep chipping away at the many, many things on my "to do" list. Please also continue to keep an eye on my friends and family, and show me how I can be helpful to them. May I do Thy will always. Amen.

7.13.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- a safe, natural, healthy birth for my new godson!
- S cooking a fabulous dinner last night
- 6 1/2 hours sleep last night (more than usual!)
- restraint of tongue and pen when my boss emailed to ask us to do something impossible
- the new Colbie Callait album

Dear God, thank you for the many blessings in my life, especially for the perfect little new life of F. H. H.! I haven't even met him yet, but I am madly in love with him! Please help me to be a good influence on his life, and his sister's. Please grant me knowledge of Your will for me, and the power to carry that out. I'd like to be more productive today - there's lots to be done, but I'll let you sort out what's most important. Please look after my friends and family today, as well. Amen.

7.12.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- a quickie afternoon nap, cuddling with my dog
- people that were willing to reschedule to accommodate my schedule
- being able to sign up for driving school instead of having points go on my record
- air conditioning and ceiling fans
- having time this afternoon for quality time with S

Dear God, it kind of hit me today that I am staring down the barrel of the wedding now, and how much there is to do between now and the "big day". I know You've got this, and that I have lots of people that will help me. Please help me to let You be in charge and to let people help me where they can. Also, my friend L is in the process of birthing my next godchild, and she could use some care and assistance in moving things along, smoothly. Please protect her and the perfect child she's carrying. Please keep a loving arm around my friends and family, and help me to help them where You see fit. Amen.

7.11.11

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- An incredible weekend with some of my closest girlfriends - the best "nerdy" bachelorette party a girl could hope for
- Safe travel home
- My fabulous fiance's hard efforts to make our house more of a home for us
- Air conditioning
- Reading the book "Quitter" this weekend while stuck in various airports

Dear God, thank you for the many blessings You've given me - both those listed above and the many more in my life today. Please be with my family today, as we remember my mom on the anniversary of her passing - I can't believe she's been gone 11 years already. Tell her that we say "hi" and that we miss her, every day...but especially, today! Please help me to look for opportunities to be of service to You and Your kids today, and to be content with all that I have, instead of worrying about what I don't have. In addition to my family, can you please also watch over some of my friends today - they could use a little extra TLC: L and I, M, A, and J. Amen.

Beginning...

A few years ago, a friend of mine invited me to be a part of her email gratitude list. Here were the guidelines:
1. List 5 things you were feeling gratitude for today (or that minute)
2. Leave names out of it - initials only
3. Conclude with your prayer for the day

Once I started receiving it, I knew immediately that it would be a powerful tool for me. For years, I had made sporadic attempts at gratitude lists, and liked the change in attitude it could bring. This took that to the next level. By inviting other people to see it, it allowed them to know what was going on with me, and strengthened my ties with them. It also made my triumphs and struggles "trackable", to me and to my friends that were on the list.

One of the best side effects of these gratitude list emails is that when I get one from a friend, it's a reminder to stop and take stock of what I am grateful for. In order to be ready when that happens, I find myself going through the day, taking note of things that happen that I feel gratitude for. It's an awesome way to travel through a day: looking for things that make my life a little bit more amazing.

Prayer has always been tricky for me - not because I don't like doing it, but because I never felt like I could be "me" when I did it. I thought it had to be loaded with "thee's" and "thou's" - and that it had to be very formal. I know a little different these days. The God that I know is just happy that I am praying - He doesn't care what language I use. A lot of times, I am pretty informal; it's not uncommon for to address Him as "Dude". He doesn't seem to mind!

This past weekend, I read "Quitter" by Jon Acuff, and in it, he shared about starting his blog "Stuff Christians Like". After reading his book, I felt inspired to start this blog - as a way to do my list more regularly, and hopefully, to encourage others to try this practice. If you try this, please feel free to share your list with us here!

I am under no delusions of grandeur here - I don't pretend to be a gratitude guru or a spiritual giant. I am a very flawed human being, and these gratitude lists are my attempt to stay aware of and grateful for the things God grants me, in spite of my flaws. God is working in my life all the time, and when I pay attention, I can see the Big Guy's work everywhere. I hope, by sharing this with you, that you can too!